Art civilizes us and it connects us and activates us. And so it's really important to connect with compassion, with stories about people who are different from us.

You will not leave the theater with nothing to talk about. For me, comedy and tragedy when you get them both in one evening, that's the most satisfying.

Someone might have a germ of talent, but 90 percent of it is discipline and how you practice it, what you do with it. ... Instinct won't carry you through the entire journey. It's what you do in the moments between inspiration.

I'm always without sleep. I've got two kids. I understand sleep deprivation on a profound level.

The thing I love about live performance the most, is that the doors are closed, the lights are turned down, and the audience has to be reverential to what's happening onstage.

If I'm not good at acting, I'm not good at anything else.

When you're directing something, you absolutely have to be involved in all layers of the process.